How Many Wives Did Krishna Have?

The mystery of Lord Krishna and his wives has been a long one. Some say he had eight wives; however, other accounts refer to the number being 16000. Read below to know all about Lord Krishna wife.

Lord Krishna Wife: The Ashtabharya

Many of us are aware that Lord Krishna had over 16,000 wives. However, not all know the stories and mythological tales behind it.

In actuality, Lord Krishna had 16,108 wives. Out of these, there are eight principal queens, known as the Ashtabharya. Ashtabharya is a term in Sanskrit made of two words: Ashta, meaning eight and Bharya, meaning wife.

Also Read: Why Does Lord Krishna Wear a Peacock Feather?

1. Rukmini

Goddess Rukmini is the first wife of Lord Krishna and his chief consort. She is also an incarnation of Goddess Laxmi. Their tale teaches one love and bravery.

The Tale of Their Marriage: Goddess Rukmini fell in love with Lord Krishna after listening to his tales, and her father supported this decision. However, her brother wanted her to marry Shishupala.

Rukmini wrote a letter to Shri Krishna, elaborating on her love and his glory and importance in her life. Krishna, upon receiving the letter, travelled to Vidarbh.

He abducted Rukmini from the forced marriage. He travelled to Dwarka with her and married her there, making her the 1st Lord Krishna wife.

2. Jambavati

Jambavati is the daughter of the bear-king Jambavan. Jambavati’s hand was offered to Krishna by her father for marriage. Her story as Lord Krishna wife teaches one victory and courage.

The Tale of Their Marriage: Jambavati’s marriage to Krishna happened because of a jewel, the Syamantaka. The Sun God gave this jewel to Satrajit. When he reached Dwarka, he met Krishna, who asked him to gift the stone to Ugrasen.

However, Satrajit refused and presented it to his brother. His brother wore the jewel often. But he was later killed by a lion while hunting. After a turn of events, the stone reached Jambavan, the bear king.

But as Satrajit’s brother did not return, he accused Krishna of killing him so that he could take the stone. Krisna, hurt by the wrongful accusations, went out to find him and reached Jambavan’s cave.

He alone went into the cave and fought Jambavan for more than 20 days. After the battle, Jambavan realised that he had been fighting Lord Vishnu. He realised his mistake and offered the hand of his daughter, Jambavati, to Krishna.

3. Satyabhama

Goddess Satyabhama is the incarnation of Bhumidevi. She is the only Shri Krishna wife who accompanied him when he battled Narakasura and is an epitome of strength & courage.

The Tale of Their Marriage: Satyabhama was Satrajit’s daughter. After Krishna returned with the stone, Satrajit felt guilty of accusing him of murder.

As an apology, he offered Krishna the hand of his daughter Satyabhama and also the stone. However, Krishna refused to take the stone, but accepted the proposal of Satyabhama’s marriage.

4. Kalindi

Kalindi is the incarnation of Yamuna and is the daughter of the Sun God. She is the 4th Lord Krishna wife and is known to represent purity and devotion.

The Tale of Their Marriage: Kalindi was a devotee of Lord Vishnu and performed severe penance to marry him. Arjuna saw her on the banks of Yanuma.

Arjuna conveyed her message of marrying Vishnu to Krisha. Upon hearing her wish, Krishna agreed to marry her as he was Vishnu’s avatar, therefore fulfilling her wish.

5. Nagnajiti (Satya)

Satya is the daughter of King Nagnajita of Kosala. Her father had a condition for her marriage that could only be fulfilled by Krishna. Their tale teaches one about proving one’s worth.

The Tale of Their Marriage: Her marriage to Krishna was a simple one, but for this, Krishna had to prove his worth. Satya’s father set us a Swyamvar for her and put a condition.

It was that whoever could tame seven ferocious and wild bulls would marry his daughter. No one apart from Krishna was able to do so, and thus, they got married.

6. Mitravinda

Mitravinda is also referred to as Krishna’s sister, as she was the daughter of King Jayasena of Avanti, who married Rajadhidevi, the sister of Krishna’s father. She represents love and willpower.

The Tale of Their Marriage: She wanted to marry Krishna, but was faced with her brother’s refusal. Her father organised a Swayamvar in which Krishna also participated.

As she wanted to become Lord krishna wife, she chose Krishna as her husband. Her brothers joined forces with the Kauravas to oppose this, but were later defeated by Krishna.

7. Lakshmana

Lakshama married Krishna after he won the Swayamvara, held by her father, King Brihatsena. She is considered the embodiment of beauty and grace, as Lord krishna wife.

The Tale of Their Marriage: There are two tales of Lakshmana’s marriage to Krishna. One describes that krishna abducted her from the Swayamvara that her father organised and then married her.

However, another states that Krisha won her hand. He precisely aimed and shot an arrow at a fish’s eye, satisfying the conditions of the organised Swayamvar.

8. Bhadra

Bhadra is the daughter of Shutakirti. Her mother wanted her to marry Krishna. Their tale is one of ease and showcases her representation of obedience, love, and devotion.

The Tale of Their Marriage: There are primarily two tales relating to Bhadra’s marriage with Krishna. In the first, she is said to marry Krisha with the approval and wishes of her brother and parents.

The other tale suggests that she married Krishna of her own will. She chose him as her husband in her Swayamvar, which her father organised.

Also Read: How Many Children Did Lord Krishna Have?

Lord Krishna Wife: The Tale Of His 16100 Wives

We have already discussed about the 8 wives of Krishna. Now, let us look at the tale of Krishna’s marriage to 16100 women. This is as follows:

1. Narakasura & The Kidnappings

Narkasura was the demon son of Devi Bhumi and Varaha (Vishnu’s avatar). He sought to conquer all three worlds. He wreaked havoc on all. On Earth, he captures 16100 women.

In some texts, these women are known to be princesses and daughters of the Gods. However, some texts refer to them as Apsaras. He kept these women imprisoned at Audaka.

Audaka was a mountain in his kingdom, which was surrounded by various demons. He did this so no one dared to enter or even come close to the princesses.

2. Indra’s Request & Krishna’s Rescue

Knowing all this, Indra dev visions Lord Krishna and asks him to save all these women from the torture of Narakasura. Lord Krishna agreed and went to fight Narakasura.

He defeated all the demons and freed all the captured women, and asked them to return to their homes. However, the women pleaded with Krishna to marry them.

They said no one would accept them and their honour would be compromised. Thus, Krishna agreed to their pleas and married all 16100 women.

Frequently Asked Questions FAQs

1. Who is the wife of Lord Krishna?

In total, Lord Krishna had over 16000 wives. However, out of these, Rukmini Devi is the most well-known.

2. How many wife of Krishna?

Some accounts mention that Lord Krishna had a total of 16,108 wives. Out of these, 8 were known as Ashtabharya, the principal queens.

3. Mention the lord krishna wife name list?

The names of all 16000 wives are not known. However, the eight principal queens are as follows: Rukmini, Jambavati, Satyabhama, Kalindi, Nagnajiti, Mitravinda, Lakshmana and Bhadra.